Even though the calendar still says winter, National Car Care Month in April is right around the corner. It’s never too early to start thinking about ways to leverage the Car Care Council’s “Be Car Care Aware” consumer education campaign to help grow your business.
Participating in National Car Care Month is time well spent and gives you a chance to build awareness of your business, increase car counts and educate consumers on how much of their vehicle’s maintenance is going unchecked. National Car Care Month is the perfect time to reach out to current customers and potential new ones. Having a proper plan in place is essential, and the Car Care Council can help.
The Industry Tool Box on the Car Care Council’s website at www.carcare.org/industry-tool-box has an assortment of promotional tools designed to help shops take advantage of the opportunities National Car Care Month can create. In addition, since there is no one-size-fits-all template for participating in National Car Care Month, the Industry Tool Box also offers additional information on how to incorporate National Car Care Month activities on a smaller scale.
Many shops throughout the country celebrate National Car Care Month by hosting community car care events. At these events, businesses volunteer their time to check components on vehicles that typically get overlooked, including tires, air filters, lubricants and fluids, belts and hoses, battery cables and lights. The free vehicle inspection events emphasize the importance of preventive maintenance and educate consumers on how to take proper care of their cars.
Inexpensive to conduct, these community events also provide an opportunity to raise awareness of the business in the community, interact with current customers, attract new ones and demonstrate how an investment in auto care will keep their vehicles running better and longer.
Visit www.carcare.org/industry-participants/host-an-event to view a video on how to host an event, register an event on the Car Care Council’s website and request up to 100 inspection forms, free of charge. The council has a map feature to make it easier for motorists to find an event in their area. To make the event more visible, the Car Care Council will also promote registered events through its various social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
The Car Care Council’s new Flickr account houses photos, infographics and illustrations that can be used on websites, shared on social media and included in print materials. Images can be downloaded at no charge by visiting: www.flickr.com/photos/carcarecouncil/
The Car Care Guide, which is designed to help motorists “Be Car Care Aware” by better understanding the when, why and how of caring for their vehicles, is a great giveaway idea for customers. Available in English and Spanish, the guide uses easy-to-understand everyday language, rather than technical automotive jargon, and fits easily in a glove box. The guides can be purchased in bulk to hand out to customers by visiting: www.carcare.org/car-care-guide Custom printing with a company logo on the back cover is also available in bulk quantities.
Recommend that your customers check out the Car Care Council’s free service schedules at www.carcare.org/car-care-service-schedules and sign up for the customized service schedule with email reminders.
Print out car care tips at http://www.carcare.org/car-care-resource/car-care-tips/ and leave them out for customers to read while they are in a waiting room or standing at the counter. Car care tips are also easy to share across all social media platforms.
National Car Care Month can be a rewarding business opportunity if you have the right plan in place. The time and energy spent will not only help your shop this April, but can also lead to additional business for years to come. For more information on National Car Care Month and the “Be Car Care Aware” campaign, visit: www.carcare.org
